Martine Inn in Pacific Grove, CA. & Boheme Hotel, San Francisco

I never used to take vacations. I hated to leave the restaurant,  I’d write notes to be given with the checks to my customers  that said things like: “I hope that you enjoyed the food and were well-taken-care of,” but I no longer have the restaurant and, at my age, it’s now or never for certain kinds of trips. In March I climbed to the top of Machu Picchu  on a rare clear  hot day and it was worth every painful step, but would I do it again or set my sights  on Mt. Everest? No!!   On this last trip to California I drove almost 7 hours up  Highway 101 with its hairpin curves and construction machines all along the route, sneaking an occasional peek at the spectacular view because I like to live dangerously and it was semi -worth it.  Awaiting us were two treats: my friend Shawn from New Orleans who was in nearby Carmel visiting her adored 99-year old father-in-law  Bob and that night we stayed at a the cozy Martine Inn, a B & B in Pacific Grove California.

Here the attention to detail is astounding and they really care.  The owner’s personal touch is on everything Take for instance, the beautiful shell-shaped spoon warmer. Now who has that? I had not even known that they existed and I’ve learned a little about this sort of thing.  I requested a particular recipe for their fluffy custardy French Toast and I had it within minutes.’  So what if its like visiting an old fashioned Grannie’s house? The decor is kitzchy with lots of chintz and not particularly comfortable beds but there are hydrangeas in the garden, bean-frito dip, crudites and wine in the dining room during cocktail hour, pots of coffee and chewy cookies and whole fresh fruit for the taking in bowls around the first floor. This place really tries and succeeds. When we left, we each got a little bag with banana bread and water for the road.  Now that is true customer service.

Fast-forward to the Boheme Hotel in San Francisco.

What in the world was Travel and Leisure thinking (or not) when they recommended the Hotel Boheme? Did anyone actually stay there or were they just seduced by the decor that admittedly is cool and well conceived i.e. the staircase.

Check-in takes place at a teller-like  window that looks like those in movies where people go to pay for use of the shower or the room for an hour.  After having to carry our heavy suitcases up the steep steps with the pretty carpet because they have no porters and having to roam the neighborhood for affordable parking because they have no arrangement with a garage for their customers, I knew that I had followed the wrong advice. I should send the magazine the nearly 300 bill I had to pay for my claustrophobic room with a view of the fire escape piled high with boxes, paint cans and other garbage, a bed so soft and lumpy I longed for Motel 6, dim lights (are there light bulbs that are less than 25watts?) and no tub that had been a special request, an imperative in choosing a hotel for me.

You  might ask why I did not check with Yelp or another rating system but I did and saw a lot  of 5-star ratings.  What I did not notice is that those ratings were given by SELLERS not customers so take care when researching places. It was at the very least a most unpleasant stay.

I had reserved for the duration of my stay in the city but when I told management the next morning that I would be checking out, the man said. “Good. It’s best for all around.”

We moved to the very professional and comfortable Stanford Court Hotel for the remainder of our stay and had an absolutely wonderful vacation. It was a time for reconnecting with old friends and , in some cases, meeting their mates, comparing lives. It was a very special trip  and I’ll write about them because they all have to do with  the food world in a way and all have played a major role in my life.

Photos by Pedro Luis de Aguinaga